1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for joining brittle material pieces.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a continuing need to be able to join parts made of brittle materials, for applications such as the assembly of optical systems, for instance in the assembly of telescopes. Brittle materials are not well suited for having threads cut into them, to allow parts to be joined together with threaded fasteners. In the process of formation of the threads themselves, such brittle materials tend to shatter or crack. And even if the threads can be formed, local stresses can be caused in the brittle material when a mating threaded fastener (such as a screw or a bolt) is tightened. The local stresses can cause damage and possibly failure of the threaded brittle material.
One alternative to threaded fasteners has been use of adhesives to join brittle material parts. However, adhesives may have many undesirable characteristics for use in joining brittle material parts. One potential problem is that the creep in adhesives can allow the adhesively joined parts to shift relative to one another. This can result in misalignment of optical parts joined by adhesives. Another problem is that adhesives can introduce contaminants, such as molecular contaminants or moisture, that can interfere with operations of systems like optical systems.
In view of the foregoing it will be appreciated that improvements would be desirable in systems and methods of joining brittle material pieces.